Listing mechanism for addressing machines



Jan. 9, 1940. F. E. CURTIS l 2,186,010

LISTING MEcuANrsu Fon ADDREssING MACHINES 'Filed May 1s, "19:58 --4 sheets-sheet 1 ATroRNEY'.

Jan. 9, 1.940. F. E. CURTIS I LISTING MECHANIS FOR ADDRESSING MACHINES Filed May 15, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jan. 9, 1940.

F. E. cuRT-ls LISTING MECHANISI FOR ADDRESSING MACHINES 4 sheets-sheet 3 Filed May 13, 1938 4, ww. R A., W/M Mm :5,350 printing machine having my listing,mechanism; Patent;No.-2;l 0fi,863, o ffC. J; Huebenassigned-tgm hemden. 9, 1940 i a i 2,186,010,

v f 2,186,010l LISTING,.MECHANISM-'.FQR-ADDEESSING- Y .f MACHINES' l 1.x. Franklin E." Curtis, Wlloughby,0hio, assigner-to Addressograph-Multigraph Corporation,rC`leve .i l land, Ohio, `a corporation.,of`.1)elawareA Application -May 13, 19,38, Serial -No. l,201768 2`llllaims.y (Cl. 101-57) This invention relatesto mechanismforfeeding ,chinmflig 4 is ,anenlarged vertical section .on sheets step bystepto an ,addressingmachine or A the li ne,.f4 4.on Eig. 2j. illustrating themecha- Y other series printing mechanism; The object of nisni pe; `ci dicallyfadvancing the sheet control f my invention is toprovide a feeding mechanism ..niernber;` Eig, y5is a verticali section throughr the which will advance the sheet Withgreataccuracy addressingmaclj1ine;, Fig.v 6. isl a .verticaljsection .y 5 tor the-impressing mesnarlismA enabling the sucthrough the vrind-'up mechanismof vtheaddresscessive imprints to beaccuratelylspacecl. The in- 1 .ing machine, being. on alarger scaleandlooking .verition is. Partie.111er1v, .welll-adaptedior feeding in the-ODDQSite-ifefibifi.imm Fig 5; 4.FisI 'Y is. a sheets Where it is desired Ato-list naines or other .detailfo'f thedevice. iorfadvancing the control S7210 data in regular order; andin denite'location with memberglbeing. a vertical. section'zon an enlarged.y 10

reference to vrating or data previously printed on Ascale on; the 1li-ne 1`1., on Fig 4; Fig.` Slis a perthesheet, as in makingup payrolls, tax lists,re .ffs'pective of thefeedco-ntrl memberI and its..co ports and the like. l. i @operatingl parts; Fig; 9`is aradial section throughy Briefly, the invention vcomprises the combina- .fthe friction drive' of-.th'e.. take..up roller,.as indi-` ?.515 tion with impressingy .mechanism.of a movable o 'Ca'i by the line fgonjlig, lime. V10V iS a da-32115 l member adapted to grip the sheetand automatigraingillustrating therelati'on of .diiferentinter- .cally advance it denite, positively controlled, changeable members `florfthe .controlled -feed. amounts consequent uponthe operation of the It is most convenient` toy describeV rst theadmachine. More particularly, I combinethecon- .cli-essing.. machinefpropenswithl its. frictionally m20 trolled feeding operationyvith a roller feed for driven.take-up device forthe advancingsheet 20 the sheet` having the possibility "ofc slippage. so which is .illustrated inthedravvings; `after which"` that the'roller may tend tofeedthe sheet afslight- I Will describefin f detailfthe. controlling mechae f ly different amount, from thatdeterrnined by the ils'msvhicl'l insures the positive vfeedo'fl thelsheet.' y controlling device. When -socombined;thecon- ,f nsillustratedin Figs. l,v 2 and 5, the .machine 5,525' trol 'device may grip the sheet in front of thej'imlis showny asv havingfa. main gframegl Il, provided25 pressing mechanism ,and allow.,it to bediawn A .vvitlr a .horizontalguidewayl1,. along Whichw" rearward by the rollerfeeding, mechanism .deprinting-devices suchas `address.plates Aare.

niteamcunts for each"in ipression.y progressed oneraftervanother;frorrithe bottom of Controlling the advancing lsheet, by positive a stack indicated at I2,.t'o an,anvil-l3,'and thence @30 lniechanism enables the successiveimprints'` tobe to a second stack\{lfl. l A .suit'able conveyor is pro- SO printed on transversely yruled5s hleetsand -does vided 'no progressltheprinting devices fromone" f ,away with the accumulation oifsmallerrors in stacl tof the athen Asshownin the drawings,

the roller feed, which ordinarily takes place with this conveyor comprisesfeeding pawls1li6..carriedvr a roller feed and` results `in .the successivev img-by;a.painotreciprocatingfeed bars'l1,."operated'.` 35 prints gradually ceasing vto register With the ruled by en eccentric lfivliichy is `connecteczl K Jyflinksl 35 spaces. v `2; .1; and levers `Ll, tc jI the leed bars. j Ihe eccentric" The control mechanismcan convenientlybean I3 isssecured---toa,mainshait 20, journall'edlin the attachment for such -addressing vmachine, as rameand, 'rotatedc-insnitable-manner2 asz for shown and claimed in Pate-ntNo. 2,104,747, of C. nstance, -by a motor connected through aV `con- @40 J. Hueber, issuedto my assignee, Addre ssographv trcllable cl-ntch, not shown.

f m40 Multigraph Corporation, though 'I have improved y gIt Will.be understood When-the feedtbarsflll are the Wind-up mechanism for the advancing sheet, .freciprooatedtheir paWls engage'the bottomrnost and the receptacle for discharged.jplates;illus printing .platezinfthestackjI2, andlotlierplates trat-ed in that patent. j ,f- .z fWhich have been previ ouslyfed, andfcarryj them 545 My control mechanism,.associatedwithan adtoward the right, the plates successively'rest-sl dress printing mechanism ci, thel-Iueber'type, is Iling inprlliilg pOSitOn 0h the aIlViILl-; @hdm y illustrated in thedravvings hereof, ashereinaiter eventually reaching the receiving.' .Stack- @4- .3

. fully explained in detail. A J The-platen and the operating' mechanism there- ,f In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a plan o fanaddress foigasillustratdys mOYe'COmDlGQlY de slibefin Fig, 2 is' an end .View thereof., looking; at thefright AddressographfMnltigraph Corporation. f Briefly, hand end of Fig. 1;"Fig. 3"is,`a vertical sectionof this ,platen comprises/ r a segmental Arol ler 3ll, the line 3 3 on Fig. 2, illustratinggonan enlarged Vli.mou.n taelin a reciprocatingcarriage 3l s 1 .ipported Y. scale, the connectionof; the listing'attachment on two spaced; framebracketsgf; Whicl 1 extend .l @swim the feed rouershaft of.theraddressingma- ..nupyrardly and inwardly; item1-the; rear 0f. the f v face of the work sheet.

the rear end of its stroke, the toggle is buckled, the

machine frame Ill and provide the magazine I2 between the brackets.

As shown, the platen 30 is supported in the platen carriage 3| by a toggle mechanism cornprising two pairs of links 34 and 35.. A third pair of links 36y guides the movement of the platernand theangular position of the` platen may be controlled by. gearing 31 connecting its shaft with a stationary rack 38 on one of the brackets 32. y y 1 Any suitable means such as aspring, not shown, may serve to maintain the platen normally in the buckled position shown in Fig. 5. However, when the platen approaches the right-hand end of its idle stroke, the toggle cornesv into co-action with a suitable abutment, and is thereby straightened and moved into engagement with the work sheet, superimposed over the printing device on the anvil I 3.

Following the engagement of the sheet by the platen, the platen carriage moving toward the rear causes the platen to be vrolled across the sheet over the printing` device, resting on the anvil. A suitable inked ribbon R may be disposed between the printing device and Work sheet, thus causing an impression to be made on the under As lthe platen reaches platenraised to idle position, .where it remains throughout the return` stroke to the front.

As shown, the reciprocation of the platen carriage is eifected'by an eccentric 40, on the shaft 2D, connected by a link 4| to a lever 42, which `is connected by a `link 43 to the platen carriage.

Mechanism is provided for frictionally feeding the sheet and winding up the forward end thereof, following each impression. This mechanism vcomprises a frictionally driven roller 50, lying 'within a partial tube 52, located beneath the frame arms 32 at the rear o f the platen. This tube, which is the curled rear part of a shield plate 5|, is removably secured to the frame l0 by suitable screws, land is open at the lower rear portion of the platen providing an entrance for kthe sheet into the space between the roller and tube. Friction rolls 53, 54y bear against the roller `Q and press the paper against the latter. I have vshown several of these rolls extending through openings inthe shield into engagement with the roller 50. These small rolls may be mounted on rods 55, 56, which are mountedin recesses in horseshoe shaped springs 58 about the tube 52.

The roller 50 is frictionally driven in the direction to cause its lower portion to move toward the rear, so that when a work sheet (indicated at P, Fig, 6)v is initiallyvpositioned with its foremost edge between a set of rolls 53 and the main roller r5|J, the rotation ofthe roller 50 will advance the sheet into the space between the roller and shield. The take-up lroller 50 is loosely mounted on a driving shaft l6|) journalled in brackets 6| and 62, which are secured to the shield plate 5| by suitable screws such as that shown at 59 in Fig.

` 3. This shaft, by j mechanism hereinafter dethis clutch are connected to a sleeve 68, which is coupled to the roller 5|?. Accordingly, the rotations of the shaft 60 are delivered to the roller 50 through the friction clutch. The friction of thisclutch is governed by a spring 67, surround- -ing the sleeve64, and adjusted by a nut 68.

7 It will be 'understood from the description clamp is active.

given that if the record sheet is placed with its forward end in the grip of the take-up roller 5|] and the smaller rolls 53, and the machine operated, the platen shaft rollsacross the sheet and makes the impression; then, after the platen has` been raised clear of the sheet, and is making its back stroke,` the rollerv5 is given a partial rotation to wind up thesheet sufficiently to bring a proper fresh area of the paper over the anvil, and at the same time the plate feedmechanism is operating to feed forward the line of plates, presenting a fresh plate over the anvil and discharging the foremost plate into the receiving stack As the plate reaches the forward end of its horizontal lmovement it drops through an opening in the bed onto a platform l) pivotally supported by the arms 1| and drawn upward by a light spring l2, the weight of the stack of plates i4 causing the platform to descend gradually as plates are added above it.

The mechanism with which the present invention-is primarily concerned coacts with the mechanism for turning the feed roller and, by reason lof being gripped to-av sheet and fed forward a Vpositively controlled amount, controls advancement ofthe sheet, the friction clutch 62, 63 all lowing slippage of the -roller drive as necessary.

The control mechanism will now be described with particularreference to Figs. l to 4, inclusive, and 7 and 8. `Held on the top face of the framei of the machine, adjacent the righthand edge, is a 4guideway |00 shown in crosssection in Fig. 3, having a base I I, upwardly extending side ribs |52 and U3, these side ribs haV- ing formed in their inner faces longitudinal recesses-|64. In these vrecesses a bar |05 is slidably mounted. At the forward end of this bar is a clamp, adapted to grip the sheet to be printed. v

The paper-,clampcomprises a laterally extend-- ing base portion |58 extending beneath the sheet,

above `the top plane of the arm |92 and allows the clamp to pass vreadily over it. As shown in Fig. 2, the clamping member |59 has down-turned ears i |2, which overlap upwardly extending ears ||3 on the base member, these ears being pivotally connected by a -cross-pin ||5. A

The clamp is normally maintained active, or in its grippingposition, by a spring ||6 between the two arms of the clamp back of the pivot. A

pin rises from the base member, incidentally positions the spring, passes through an opening inthe clamping member and pivotally carries at its upper end a throw-out lever H8 which has differently positioned faces adapted to engage the top ofthe clamp member |09. When the lever ||8 is in the position shown in Figs. 2 and 5, the When the lever inclines toward the front, the face |I9 thereof holds the clamp open. The same lever 8 furnishes a convenient handle to draw the clamp toward the front for original setting. As the operator grasps this handle the first action is `to open the clamp, if it should be closed, andmaintain it open as thel clamp is being drawnv forward.

The-bar |05 forms merely a guide and support for'the clamp. The actual advancement of the the; carriage.Landforrnsjthepivotaly mounting for clamp. .is effected: iapzthimsiiexible metal.. strip v |20, which. is. slidablein the fguide; |00, .the Imargins of: the. strip. .occupying longitudinal, grooves @|01 inthe guidearmsiUZand |03. .This strip at its forward end is attached by. .a clamping screw |21 .to the guide .bar |05. At .its rear end .thestrip |20. passes into asubstantialcircular receptacle'. |25. .This receptacle comprises .a. disk-like plate carrying ...a nearly completely. circular wall. |26, the platehavinga *i flangedextension; |21 by .which .it is .boltedxto the .under-side .of the projectingA rear. `portion ofthe guide |00. The wall |25 is openatthe top,.so

into the receptacle and curvesaround the inner The strip |20 .is intermediately yacted .upon Iby f `periodically .moving advance .mechanism tomove the. strip rearwardly a certain. amount and thus advance the clampandwith it the sheet of paper --following the impression,4 and at the same time,

. not. further. advance the. sheet.

. the strip by means of gearing connecting .ii-...with v the take-.up roller.50, turns `that roller. to pull the sheet into theshield 52.*1The feed of the. periphery of the. roller is. slightly inexcess of the feed Hof. the clamp and thus the clamp furnishes, the actual control. .for the sheet, the feed roller. friction clutch. slipping slightlywhen the roller can- This .advancing mechanism will now be described.

The stripv |20 has, along its margin, a. row of openings |30.into which extend theteeth of a Vgearll (Fig. 3),.on a shaft |33.mounted in a bearing block l35, rigid with the frame. As

. shown, this bearing block ismounted on a plate 152, AwhicheXten-ds beneath the guide and. is

securedY to it. i

The shaft |33 aligns withland is coupled to the lroller shaftil, each of these two. shafts. be-

ing preferably half. cut away` and the remaining portions overlapping, as shown in' Fig. 3. This makes-apositivedrive from the strip |20. to the take-up roller shaft 50, and, as therev is a positive connection between the strip and the paper clamp, the movement of the stripnecessarilyturns the vroller rshaft and moves the strap in unison, `and as-heretoforegstated, the shaftv tends to rotate they roller-50 .at-the saine angular speed.

The control strip |fhas another sety of'holes through it spaced according to the desired feed ofthe paper. Theseholes are engaged by reciprocating pawls toveffect the feed. As. shown in Fig. 1,*these'holesv are 4arranged in two rows,

- |40 and IM, the holes being-staggered to prevent position to enable manual shifting of the strip |20 `consequent upon a manual adjustment ofthe positioning clamps.

The feed pawls areoperated by a bell crank lever.|50, pivoted at I5! onthedependingportion of the plate |52 rigid withthe guide |00. .Theupper end of this bellA crank is. connected `by ay link z |54 with. the.. pin; |,4.4...Whch f is mounted; in

, |55 .as a handle.

.It will be seen that with the machine equipped" the pawls.' -Theotherarm ,|56 ofthebell crank is connected byza link |51 vwith an arm |50 rigid with the. arm 42. (Fig. 5), which operatesjthe platen. f Accordingly, when the platen is moved 5 forward. on its idle `stroke-the arm |53 is swung .downwardly and'this causes the link |50 to move rearwardly, thus giving the pawls a rearward stroke. lWhen veither of them engages an opening in the strip |20, the strip and the paper. .10

kclamp and `the take-up roller shaft are advanced correspondingl amounts. The ystroke is limited by the adjustable set screw |59 on a flange of the bell-crank |50 coming into engagement with th edge ofthe frame; member |52. v The actual advancement of the Astrip cannot be more thanthe advancementof the pawls; it may,

howevenbe considerably less, depending upon the point at which the advancing pawls actually engage the strip. YThis point is controlled by aniV adjustable shim |60, Figs. 1, 7 and 8, which overlies the strip and preventsrthe pawls from passing Adown into the holesin the strip until they have cleared the shim. The forward end of the shim is bevelled, as .shown at |61, to enable the@ advancing pawls to pass gradually off of the shim onto the strip Vinto uncovered holes. in the strip, .as indicated/.bythe broken linesin Fig. '7. The .effect of the-shim, therefore, is to render idle a variable portion of the stroke of the pawlsyrao is retained inset 'position` by a vdetent plunger |10 (Figs. Li'and 8), which engages any of the number ofnotches 02 in the edge of Vthe shim.

The plunger -has l,a vertical shank |1| slidablycy mountedin `thebracket |35 and carries at its upper end aknob |12 by which the plunger may be..lif,ted .to idlepositionagainst the action of a surrounding `compression spring |13. When .the plunger-|10.v is. raised the shim may be reads-.40

ily shifted bythe `operator taking hold of a pin Theshimv is preferablyv provided `with a suitablescale coacting with a pointer |68 on'the yguidewayy |00 .to enable the .selected position tobe readily observed. 545

v.In the particular. illustration of the strip and shim inV Fig. 18, the basisof `spacing is ,-SGW; that .is to say,. the longitudinal distance from the transverse center line of the hole to the transverse center line ofthe next hole IM, is $522550 and the. spacing ofthe notcheslZ on 'the shim 3 Now, if the total stroke of the pawls |02 is and the .shim is so set as to maintain the pawls idle for the first 3% of movement, it followsthatthereis lig left for vactive movement-555 .which corresponds to the longitudinal space from the rear edge of one hole to the rear edge of the third hole thereafter, and thus causes a feed of the strip-equal to the distance .from the center of. one'hole. IM to the center of the next hole Mii-n.60 in that-row. `If, however, the shim were shoved rearward of the machine one notch, the feed would be 1%" less, or If, on the other ;hand, the strip were drawn one notch toward the frontthe feed would-be 3A. 165

with thestrip |20 spaced as just described, and

' the shim setas in Fig. 8, each stroke `of the platen results in a feed of the paper of-Ts. Sucormatter printed bythe machine may be pre `usentedin accurate transverse alignment with previouslyprinted..dataspaced ese.

To .assist in'I the original .placing ofv the.4 sheet.' .25

I put an adjustable pointer-|80, Fig. 1,*on one of the` side guides 18| for the paper on the frame of the machine.' When this pointer is once set, it corresponds with some'mark on a'properly positioned ruled or printed sheet, and every other similarly ruled or printed and marked sheet, which is caused to register with the pointer and will have its ruling or printing correspondingly position with reference to' the imprint tc be made.

If a spacing of imprints different from vany multiple of the hole-spacingof *stripy |20 is desired, it is only necessary to remove the strip and shim from'the machine and substitute a strip with the holes 'spaced as desired, and a shim which corresponds to the substituted strip. This interchangeability is illustrated in Fig. l0, where the characters llland |60 indicate the strip and shim of Fig. 8 while the characters |20a and la indicate a strip and shim spaced on a 1/4 basis. A few strips with holes differently spaced and corresponding shims will accommodate most of the ordinary rulings of paper, and spacings of printing.v If specials-pacing is desired, it can be easily provided by making a strip and a shim specially to iit a sample of the particularly spaced sheet to be used.

I have referred to the possibility of making the controlled feeding mechanism self-contained as an attachment to the addressing machine. This is the embodiment illustrated in the drawings, wherein the longitudinal guide member |00 constitutes in effect the frame of the attachment. This guide member has rigidly secured to it the bearing for the drive to the vtake-up roller shaft, the bracket for the pawl-operating mechanism and the receptacle for receiving the free end of the strip. As shown, the guide v|00 has near its forward end a downwardly projecting pin |90, which may be placed in a corresponding hole in the machine frame l0; then the whole attachment may be swung about the pin |90 as a center toward the addressing mechanism, causing laligned pins |92 on the stationary frame bracket 6| to be received in corresponding openings |93 in the bearing block |35 of the attachment, then the attachment is secured in place by turning in two thumb screws |95 (Figs. 1 and 2) the shanks of which have reduced portions passing through openings in ears on the bearing block |35 into threaded openings in the frame I0, shoulders on these screw Shanks engaging the top of the ears.

The simple means described effectively clamps the whole self-contained controlled-feedingmechanism accurately in position with the attachment shaft |33 interlofcked to the take-up roller shaft 60. A pin |55 on the link |51 is then caused to pivotally connect that link with the rock arm |58 rigid with the platen operating arm 42. It is convenient to mount the pin |55 in al hollow boss on the link |51 and provide a suitable detent or internal spring not shown, to hold the pin in its innermost position when it is active;

To limit the forward movement of the clamp and retain the strip and clamp guide in place in the guide bar |00, I secure a block |99 to the strip adjacent the rear end. This. block by abutting the rear end of the guide |00 limits the forward movement of the strip. Y

Inasmuch as the paper is set vinitially according to the ruling or matter on the sheet, and is shoved positively toward the rear, it is very desirable to have means whereby vthe sheet may pass automatically into the grip ofthe take-up device without requiring vits adjustment manually at that end. To accomplish this, I provide guide strips 80 secured to a cross-bar 8| attached to the bearing brackets 6| and 62, these guide strips being bifurcated, and passing forwardly and thence downwardly on opposite sides of the rolls 53 to points below the.upper face of the shield, as shown in Figs. l and 6. With such provision, when the sheet P is fed rearward by the clamp feed the far edge of the sheet strikes the upwardly inclined face of the strips 80 and thus pass immediately into the bight of the roller 50 and the rolls 53 without requiring manual manipulation at the rear end.

As the sheet of paper is held at the front of the machine by the clamp and at the rear of the platen by the take-up roller and intermediately overlies the chamber in which the used plates are stacked, it is desirable that means be provided whereby those plates can be removed, when the stack becomes full, otherwise than by raising the stack through the top plane of the frame, as heretofore. To accomplish this I make the side-walls 90 of the receiving receptacle continue unobstructed to the front, except for lugs 9| at the top. rIlne result is that as `the foremost used plate is fed, its far edge abuts the shoulders 90 and is thereby limited in forward movement and drops by gravity onto the platform 'I0 or onto the plates already on the platform. The platform inclines upwardly, as shown in Fig. 5, and hence gravityI assistsin retaining the stack of plates against the rear face of the chamber provided for receiving them. However, whenever desired, the operator may insert his fingers into the open chamber beneath the `paper sheet and grasp and remove plates resting on the platform, the platform having a central opening to allow the plates to be readily grasped. l

It will be understood from the description given that I have provided a positively driven paper feed mechanism, self-contained as a unit, and adapted to be installed on an addressing machine and then operating to feed the sheet by denite steps and correspondingly roll up the advancing 'edge of said sheet. I have provided for ready interchangeability of the controlling members to enable step feeds of different amounts. I have provided a ready adjustment within the machine to enable the mechanism to cause a feed of the selected amount or any multiple thereof, as desired. I have so arranged my positive feeding mechanism which grasps the sheet at the front and the take-up mechanism which receives the rear edge of the sheet, that the paper clamped by the positive feed may be readily shoved into the automatic grip of the wind-up mechanism. Finally, I have so modied the plate-receiving magazine that used plates may be readily removed, notwithstanding a sheet of paper may be held in a plane across the top of the magazine.

I claim:

l. The combination with means for impressing a sheet, a clamp for holding a sheet to be impressed, said clamp being carried by a bar slidably mounted in a guide carried by the frame whichcarries the impressing mechanism, a removable strip slidably mounted in a guide parallel with the bar-guide and adapted to be attached to the bar, said strip having periodically arranged shoulders, and feeding mechanism adapted to engage such shoulders.

2. The combination with mechanism adapted to impress a sheet, a flexible strip connected to the sheet and having a series of longitudinally spaced shoulders, means .adapted to engage the shoulders successivelyftoadvance thefsheeti and',l meansifor curling the distant- 'endfof'the*iiexib'le"l strip i Y v 3. The lcombination -withmechanism- 'adapted .5 "to impressV a sheet, ofl'a clamp jforfholding the sheet, said clamp being slidably guided', "a iiexible l istrip; connected to thefclampqand having afserie's oflong'itudinally spaced 'slfi'oul'ders,V means adapted to engage Vthe shoulders""successively, toad- 'Vance the-'strip 'and thereby the clamp, and means foi" curling the distant endvof theflexible strip;

4I- The combinationwi'th v"means for impressing a sheet, a lmovablev clamp forholding a sheetto'fbe impressed, a flexiblestripi '-slidably guided and l connected at one end ,to the clamp, said Istrip hav-U ing-'shoulders "periodic'zally arranged along it, and

feeding 'mechanism V adapted" to engage suchVv p shoulders,` anda 'receptacle havinga curved wall i5 toreceive the free end of the strip. L 5.'The combination With av prnting'meclanism, of a paperholding'device slidablymounted, v

a' thingfiexible strip'slidably guided at itsv edges and connected with the paper holdingl device,- v,said' strip 'having a longitudinal lrow'of holes .l ""through itand a feeding device adapted to engage different 4holes inthe strip successively to'give the strip a step-by-step 'movement` f 6. The combination'with aprintingA couple, of

la'deviceforholdinga sheet'of paper to beimv e0'`"printed, said'device' being slidablyguided onthe "1.The combination `of"a"frame, aprinting couple mounted thereon, a'paper clamp for 'a sheetio be printed' carried byla` bar slidably Y 4(9fmounted'in a guide carried by said frame, a strip slidably mountedv toinoveparallel to said bar,

said strip having a'set of 'equally-spacedshoulders,I a reciprocable 'driving pavvlhaving a 'stroke 'as-'great' as a plurality of ldistances between said 4gzeshoulders, and an adjustably positioned member adapted to vprevent the pawlcoacting with the strip for a'portion of its' stroke.V

8, The combination, with a 'pr1nting"couple, of a paper holding device slidably guided to pre- ,36e-senta sheet lsuccessively 'to the couple', aslidably mounted 'strip attached to the paper holdingdevice and having a set of holes in it,a reciprocable pawl adapted to engage rholes'in'the striptofeed the same, andan adjustable shim overlying the strip and adapted to prevent' such engagement for a-portion of the stroke of the pawl.'

v. 9. lThe combination, with a printing couple, of a'paper holding device slidably guided'to present asheet successively to they couple', a slidablyI "'l'mountedstrip attached to the paper holding device havinga row of shoulders, a reciprocable pawl `adapted to vsuch-shoulders to feed the paper holder, an adjustable shim adjacent the strip and adapted to prevent such engagement for a portion of the stroke of the paWl', said shim having a set of shoulders thereon, and a spring detent device adapted to engage any of said shoulders on the shim and thereby hold the shim inadjusted position while allowing it to be shifted lengthwise of the strip as desired.

10. The combination of la printing couple, a pairof c'oacting takeup rollers adapted to feed a sheet between the members of'the couple, ay

clamp to engage such sheet, and means for feed- 75 ing the clamp periodically definiteI steps.

anMv p the-1membersof the address p'latesfto printing position, a "adapted to'coact with-'a'plate in printing on'to'f V"effect 'vanf imprint, a` paper-feeding roller' rneansfor4v rotating it, a clamp for thef sheet lmounted, and mechanism for' periodi# slidab y lle s l adapted 7to` engage" he' combination with means 'for feeding @any moving the clamp' rey positively controlled l amounts y'atl'the.same time that the roller is rotatefd in 'engagement with 'the' sheet.

i3. The*combinationgwith a printing couple of-a f-rclier-'feedffor thelshe'et, a' movable clamp adapted 'to-"grip the -'sheet,'and mechanism to advancel the "fclar'np 'by' denitelycontrolled steps andsimultaneouslyrotate the feed'roller in a fmannerr which' 'would"feedV the sheet greater aniountsf'tha'n said `steps` if 'the ciam'p permitted the same.

lflfThefcom'bination 'with 'aprinting couple, of'V a"pcsitively advanced controlling f device adapted tobelcla'mped to the sheet to be printed,

2:5EE u and'awind-upfmechanism simultaneously opery.

'ated'to freceive the? printed sheet.

i5. 'ine 'combination with `means for feeding a-set'of address plates to printing position, a

platen` adapted to "coact with' a plate in printingv f positientoeiec't an imprint, a takeup roller behind thefplaten, arolling member coacting with the take-uproller toengage the sheet between them, a clamp -forithe sheetslidably mounted in front of the plat'enjand mechanism for vperiodicallylmovingi'the clamp toward'the impressing position-"byj positively controlled amounts and at the 'same ttimeoperating thetakeup roller isv ro' tated tfwind up 'the' sheet. l v

ldTheco'mbination with a-printing couple, of Iafriction'ally driven'paper feed mechanism, and l ajpositivelyadvanced controlling device adapted to' be'cl'ampedftdthe'sheet to be printed;-

17'.' Thecombination with a-'printing couple,

of a-ffeed"roller,` means holding Vthe sheet being imprinted'again'st'the 'feed roller, means for frictionally driving the feed roller, aclamp adapted toengagethe sheet, saidclamp being guided for movement'in theplane of the sheet, and mechanism to'advanc'ie theclamp by `definitely controlled steps.A e j .18.1/The combination,v with a printingfcouple of"a'roller"feed for' the sheet, mechanism for driving :the roller feed, a movable clamp adapted to'gripthe"sheet, mechanism to v'advance the 'clamp by I definitely :controlled steps and simultaneousllyoperate the drive'mechanism for the roller'ffeed, -said drive `mechanism,including a` slip connection whereby the roller feed may tend to '-ffeed* the `sheet'further-than the clamp will allow. Y l

19. The combination ofmeans for feeding a sheet of address plates to `printing position, a platen adapted to coact with a plate While in printing position, a clamp adapted to grip a sheet to be impressed, a takeup roller 'adapted to roll up the impressed sheet, and mechanism operatin timed relation with the platen while the latter is idle to positively advancerthe clamp `and frictionally advance the takeup roller.

2G.- The combination of a printing couple, a

rotatable takeup roller and a coacting member sheet, a gear frictionally connected with the roller .for rotating it, a movable clamp adapted to grip the sheet, a member movable with the clamp and having shoulders meshing with the gear, and

V'mechanism for feeding said member a definite amount for each impressing operation.

2l. The combination o-f mechanism for feeding address plates, one after another,` to printing position, a platen adapted to be moved to coact with a plate in printing position, a takeup roller having aroll coacting with it to receive between them the sheet impressed, a clamp adapted to be attached to said sheet, a bar slidably guiding the clamp, a strip removably connected to the clamp and having a set of equally spaced shoulders, a reciprocatingpawl to engage such shoulders to feed the strip and thereby feed the clamp,

and a gear engaging the strip and connected to the takeup roller through a friction drive, whereby reciprocation of the pawl may both rotate the feed roller and advance the clamp positively, the gearing to the feed roller vbeing such that it tends to advance the sheet further than the clamp will allow.

22'. The combination with a printing couple, of a takeupl device for a sheet including a rotatable roller, a slidably mounted clamp adapted to engage the sheet, a thin flexible strip connected to the clamp and slidably guided, said strip having a row of holes through it coacting with teeth on a gear frictionally connected with the takeup roller, said strip having another row of holes through it, a reciprocating pawl adapted to coact with the holes of the latter row to feed the strip definitev amounts, whereby the clamp is advanced positively and at the same time the takeup roller is advanced frictionally.

23. A paper advance device, comprising a clamp adapted to engage the sheet, a bar slidably guidingthe clamp, a strip connected to the clamp, said strip having a plurality of rows of openings throughl it, the openings in'one row being staggered with reference to the .adjacent row, a slidable carriage, a plurality of pawls on the carriage `adapted to coact individually with the openings in the different rows and means for reciprocating the carriage whereby as soon as either pawl engages a hole in its row the strip becomes advanced by such pawl. g

24The combination, with a printing couple, of a takeup device for the impressed sheet comprising a roller, a shield extending from the region beneath the sheet and curving about the roller but spaced therefrom, a roll coacting with Y the roller at the rear of the roller, a guiding strip extending forwardly and downwardly through a rear opening in the shield, and means for positively gripping the sheet and shoving it rearwardly with the free end traveling along said strip and directed by it into the bite ofthe feed roller and coacting roll. f

25. In an addressing machine, the combination of a frame, means thereon for supporting a stack of address plates, means for feeding them across an anvil, a platen adapted to coact with a plate on the anvil, means including a clampy in front of the machine-frame for gripping a sheet of paper and positively feeding it across the anvil while holding it in a plane overlying the path of travel of the plates from the anvil, and a yieldable support for receiving the discharged plates, said support occupying a chamber open at the front of the machine for the full width of the plates, whereby the stack of plates may be readily removed from the front of the machine while the sheet of paper is in place above the receiving chamber. Y

26. A4 printing machine of the character described, having a frame, a magazine for holding plates to` be printed, a second magazine for receiving `plates which have been printed, mechanism for feeding the plates from the rst magazine to the secondand intermediately locating them over an anvil, a platen adapted to coactwitha lplate on the anvil, a takeup device between the platen and the first magazine comprising a roller mounted within a curved shield, and a roll projecting through an opening in the shield into coaction with the roller, a bar slidably mounted in a frame in the machine, a clamp on the b`ar,` means fo-r opening vthe clamp and for closing it on the paper to be printed, a removable exible strip secured to the clamp and extending parallel with the bar and having its far end curled into a receptacle' at the rear of the machine, said strip having a row of holes through it, a pawl reciprocating parallel with the strip adapted to engagev diiierent holes to advance the strip, a shaft for the takeup roller connected with it through a slip clutch, a gear connected with said shaft and coacting witha row of holes in the exible strip, mechanism for moving the platen and on the idle stroke thereof advancing the pawl to advance ythe clamp positively and advance the takeup roller frictionally.

27. The combination with `a printing mechanism, of a paper holding device slidably mounted, a thin flexible strip slidably guided and` connected at one end with the paper holding device, said vstrip having a longitudinal row of holes through it, and a reciprocating pawl adapted to engage diiferent holes in an intermediate portion of the strip successively to give the strip a stepby-step movement, 'and means for diverting the advance end of the strip.` n

28. lThe combination of a printing couple, a devicevadapted to advance a sheet step-by-step approximately identical amounts while allowing variations, a paper controlling device adaptedv to beclamped to the sheet, and means for positively. feeding the paper controlling device stepby-step identical amounts while the first mentioned device is active.

FRANKLIN E. CURTIS. 

